Gold, Silver Log Third Straight Session of Modest Losses

Precious metals futures posted losses ranging from 0.3% for silver and platinum to 1.3% for palladium

Gold and silver futures declined for a third straight session Wednesday, though their losses for the days each combine to only 0.7%.

Gold for April delivery shed $5.60, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,233.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"The gold market bulls are impressed by the yellow metal’s resilience this week, in the face of solid gains in the U.S. dollar index and growing notions of an imminent U.S. interest rate rise," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report.

Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,231.50 to a high of $1,241.90. They slipped less than 0.1% on Tuesday and lost 0.2% on Friday.

Meanwhile, silver for March delivery fell 5.1 cents, or 0.3%, to $17.95 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $17.90 and $18.04. They logged successive losses of 0.2% on Tuesday and Friday.

In PGM futures on Wednesday:

April platinum declined $3.30, or 0.3%, to $1,002.70 an ounce, ranging from $998.50 to $1,008.40.

Palladium for March delivery fell $9.75, or 1.3%, to $769.05 an ounce, trading between $765 and $784.80.

London Precious Metals Prices

In comparing earlier fixed London bullion prices from Tuesday PM to Wednesday PM:

Gold rose $3.45, or 0.3%, to $1,236.65 an ounce.

Silver rose 11 cents, or 0.6, to $18.00 an ounce.

LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.

US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in 2017

U.S. Mint bullion orders were unchanged Wednesday. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.